Pop and HTDAAB - notice the smiliarities...

[Zoocoustic]

-Both took forever for the band to release (4 years each from previous album)
-Both had a popular lead single which did not represent the album
-Both were called mediocre by many critics (rare for a U2 album)
-Both debuted at #1 on the charts
-Both fell fast from the #1 position

 

[Do Miss America]

No.

I haven't seen this one being called mediocre by critics.

The falling on charts is pretty misrepresentative.

But for the most part they are both good albums for very different reasons.

 

[phanan]

Pop hasn't even sold 2 million in the U.S. yet (at least, it hasn't been certified 2x platinum as of this point), while HTDAAB is closing in on 3 million in the U.S. after only four months.

I'd say that's a big difference right there.

I like Pop, however...

 

[Zoots]

... except that HTDAAB has been absolutely raved by critics since Day 1, like Do Miss America pointed out. The fans on the other hand trash both albums equally I think.

 

[zoo99]

critics loved pop when it was first reviewed, the media only started getting on them after the tour started, and this was in the U.S.A. only.

 

[bcrt2000]

Side note: The great story out of this is that the US media chewed up and spit out U2 as well as many fans (for U2's take on being consumed by pop culture), but when they released All That You Can't Leave Behind, after they won all the Grammys, they came back, they did the 9/11 tribute at the super bowl, Bono wore the american flag. I think it shows the character of our boys.

 

[Flying FuManchu]

Critics loved/ praised POP when it first came out but the power of the mob is strong...

 

[Flying FuManchu]

I noticed the guitar tone of If God Would Send His Angels and Crumbs were very similar.

 

[U2DMfan]

POP was the darling when it came out, just as just about anything U2 puts out, the little clique of critics will lap it up, then when the tour didnt take, they turned.

Lets all hope the Vertigo tour doesnt flop, I dont think it will, it will never approach the risk of failure.

 

[bathiu]

After listening to those albums for a a first time I had/have no idea what songs would/will become singles.

I had no such problems with ATYCLB wich have only 4 songs and 7 "fillers" (unfortunetly one of the "fillers" was a sinlge...but nevermind)


I think musicaly HTDAAB is closer to POP than to ATYCLB... that's of course only my opinion but I think HTDAAB is more like going back to the 90's than to the 80's.

 

[D'oh!]

Yes but HTDAABs fall in the charts is pretty misleading. It has already done very well all over the world and has outshone Pop in that respect. In the span of a mere 15 weeks it has overtaken and now left Pop far, far behind in terms of sales, which was released more than 8 years ago.

The main difference is that Pop failed and HTDAAB is a sucess

 

[jick]

-Both took forever for the band to release (4 years each from previous album)
-Both had a popular lead single which did not represent the album
-Both were called mediocre by many critics (rare for a U2 album)
-Both debuted at #1 on the charts
-Both fell fast from the #1 position

-Both feature all four members of the band in the album cover
-Both feature an album cover that is not in natural color
-Both albums end with a song where the persona is speaking to God
-Both albums were out on the net before official release
-Both feauture long song titles for song #3 while a one word, three syllable song title for song #1
-Both opening songs have similar setting - in a disco.
-Both feature bonus tracks for different versions of the album (Japan POP has Holy Joe, Limited Edition Bomb has Fast Cars)
-Roughly 25% of the total US album sales of POP were achieved on the first week, and it looks to be the same number for HTDAAB which sold 800,000 in its first week and looks to finish at 3.2 million on sales before it exists the Billboard 200.

The similarities are endless. I can go on an on...

Cheers,

J

 

[phanan]

... except that HTDAAB has been absolutely raved by critics since Day 1

It has? Strange - I've only seen excellent reviews here in the U.S., and quite a few people had it on their best of 2004 lists.

 

[phanan]

Re: Re: Pop and HTDAAB - notice the smiliarities...

-Roughly 25% of the total US album sales of POP were achieved on the first week, and it looks to be the same number for HTDAAB which sold 800,000 in its first week and looks to finish at 3.2 million on sales before it exists the Billboard 200.

Except that HTDAAB has already outsold Pop in the U.S. and its only been four months.

 

[XHendrix24]

It has? Strange - I've only seen excellent reviews here in the U.S., and quite a few people had it on their best of 2004 lists.

..Umm..."raving" means that they like it. It has a good connotation. So what he was saying was basically the same thing you said.

 

[D'oh!]

Re: Re: Pop and HTDAAB - notice the smiliarities...

--Both feauture long song titles for song #3 while a one word, three syllable song title for song #1
-
J

MOFO is a long song title?

 

[popacrobat]

theyre both 1-2 on my favorite albums list.

 

[Zoots]

Re: Re: Re: Pop and HTDAAB - notice the smiliarities...

MOFO is a long song title?

I was just gonna ask that.

 

[RademR]

The critics loved HTDAAB for the majority. Some fans get on it, but I dont think more than POP or even ATYCLB for that matter.

Their both amazing.

 

[phanan]

..Umm..."raving" means that they like it. It has a good connotation. So what he was saying was basically the same thing you said.

Oops - sorry about that. I think I saw it as ravaged by critics. Totally misread it that one!

 

[Roland of Gilead]

As great as they both are, the critics of Pop got their wish with the Bomb.

 

[Axver]

Re: Re: Pop and HTDAAB - notice the smiliarities...

-Both feature all four members of the band in the album cover
-Both albums were out on the net before official release
...
-Both feature bonus tracks for different versions of the album (Japan POP has Holy Joe, Limited Edition Bomb has Fast Cars)

All of that can be said for ATYCLB too.

 

[LMP]

Pop is definitely not as radio friendly as The Bomb, then again, neither was Zooropa or October

 

[jick]

Re: Re: Re: Pop and HTDAAB - notice the smiliarities...

MOFO is a long song title?

I thought it was If God Will Send His Angels.

Wow, it's been a long time since I last put the POP album in my cd player.

Cheers,

J

 

[burns]

Re: Re: Pop and HTDAAB - notice the smiliarities...

-Both feature all four members of the band in the album cover
-Both feature an album cover that is not in natural color
-Both albums end with a song where the persona is speaking to God
-Both albums were out on the net before official release
-Both feauture long song titles for song #3 while a one word, three syllable song title for song #1
-Both opening songs have similar setting - in a disco.
-Both feature bonus tracks for different versions of the album (Japan POP has Holy Joe, Limited Edition Bomb has Fast Cars)
-Roughly 25% of the total US album sales of POP were achieved on the first week, and it looks to be the same number for HTDAAB which sold 800,000 in its first week and looks to finish at 3.2 million on sales before it exists the Billboard 200.

The similarities are endless. I can go on an on...

Cheers,

J

i think these similarities can be applied to many albums in some form or another (disregarding the sales aspects......i don't know too much about that area)........it really shows how formularic a u2 release is. ...........give the fans what they want eh...

 

[Pero]

Re: Re: Pop and HTDAAB - notice the smiliarities...

-Both feauture long song titles for song #3 while a one word, three syllable song title for song #1

Mofo is a long song title???
I have another similarity:

BOTH WERE MADE BY U2

 

[doctorwho]

-Both took forever for the band to release (4 years each from previous album)

True, but both times U2 released other material between the studio albums. Notably, "Hold Me...Kill Me" and "Original Soundtracks 1" and the 1990-2000 "Best Of" with two new songs and several updates.

-Both had a popular lead single which did not represent the album

This is debatable. "Vertigo" is far more popular than "Discotheque". People began to loathe that song. Unfair perhaps, but I think this speaks about its popularity. "Discotheque" may have cracked the Top 10, but it fell from the charts fast. "Vertigo" lingered - not as long as "Beautiful Day", but it was a far more popular track. Also, I'd argue that "Vertigo" represents HTDAAB far more than "Discothque" did "Pop". As this could be a long argument, I won't discuss that here.

-Both were called mediocre by many critics (rare for a U2 album)

Actually, I think you are wrong here on both counts. "Pop" was heavily praised upon its release. HTDAAB received very strong praise, even from sources not known to praise U2. Some critics changed their tune once "Pop" started to fall down the charts, but this just shows how useless music critics are.

-Both debuted at #1 on the charts

This is true.

-Both fell fast from the #1 position

In the SoundScan era, precious few albums hold the #1 spot for long. It's particularly challenging to do so during the busy holiday season when big albums are released weekly. What's important to note is that HTDAAB spent the holidays in the Top 5. "Pop" spent a scant 3 weeks in the Top 10.

Of course, chart position can be meaningless. ATYCLB also spent a scant 3 weeks in the Top 10, but it sold nearly 3x as many albums as "Pop". And that's where the true value is - sales. To date, HTDAAB has sold over 1M more albums in the U.S. than "Pop". Give HTDAAB another hit song or two and a successful tour and it should be able to come close to ATYCLB's sales.

So while there are similarities, there are more differences.

 

[shaun vox]

pop kicks htdaab arss its a mans record(pop)

 

[Zoots]

pop kicks htdaab arss its a mans record(pop)

Shaun, I meant to say this in the other post but neutral closed it.

um... Careful, don't get bano-ed from the forum.

 

[Pero]

Pop Kicks ASS!